Santa Cruz County, California
Pretty quiet out there — 1-2ft and mostly poor with barely a breath of wind.
Conditions stay similar this week — check the hourly forecast at Seabright Beach for the cleanest windows.
Very Poor today — get one free email when Seabright Beach turns Good.
Here's how the next 5 days are shaping up at Seabright Beach, Santa Cruz County, California. Each day is rated based on breaking wave height, swell period, and wind — updated hourly from the latest NOAA GFS run.
Wed, Jul 22: 1–2ft, 10s period, rated Poor. Pretty quiet out there — 1-2ft and mostly poor with barely a breath of wind.
Thu, Jul 23: 1–2ft, 14s period, rated Poor. Not the most exciting day — 1-2ft and poor conditions with glassy conditions.
Fri, Jul 24: 1–2ft, 23s period, rated Poor. The sweet spot is around midday — 1-2ft waves, glassy conditions, poor conditions. Early on is a little rough — give it until mid-morning to shape up.
Sat, Jul 25: 1–2ft, 22s period, rated Poor - Fair. Early morning is your best window — 1-2ft waves on S swell at 8s with barely a breath of wind. The S wind kicks in by afternoon — 6mph and poor by then.
Sun, Jul 26: 0–1ft, 20s period, rated Very Poor. Hold off if you can — morning starts out very poor with 0-1ft waves. Afternoon shapes up better with 1-2ft and poor conditions.
Check Seabright Beach from the lineup
Forecasts, surf alerts, and live conditions in the Swell Intel iPhone app.
Seabright is a long exposed beach break just east of the Santa Cruz Harbor jetty. The jetty influences sand movement and shapes shifting sandbar peaks, with the best conditions on a combo NW/S swell. It is the closest spot to town but sees a fraction of the Pleasure Point crowd, making it a solid everyday option for intermediates.
Wave heights shown are breaking wave heights — the actual rideable wave size at this spot.
The current wave height at Seabright Beach is 1-2ft with a 8.35s swell period. Wind is WSW at 3mph and conditions are rated Very Poor. The forecast updates hourly so you can plan your session around the cleanest windows.
The current breaking wave height at Seabright Beach is 1-2ft, produced by a 3ft SSW primary swell at 12s, a 0.9ft SSW secondary swell at 16s, a 1ft SSW tertiary swell at 16s, a 3ft S wind swell swell at 5s. Breaking wave height is the actual rideable wave size at the shore — calculated from offshore swell data using this spot's coastal bathymetry — not the raw buoy reading.
Based on the current 5-day forecast, the best window to surf Seabright Beach is Saturday from 6 AM to 9 AM with 1ft waves, a 21.8s swell period, and conditions rated Poor - Fair. Check the hourly forecast for updates as conditions can shift.
Seabright Beach works best with a S swell and NE winds. Offshore winds groom the face of the wave, while onshore winds turn it sloppy. Cross-offshore conditions usually produce the cleanest shape.
Tide plays a big role at Seabright Beach. Mid tide works for most beach breaks, while reef and point breaks often prefer higher or lower stages. Use the tide chart above to line up your session with the swell peak.
Seabright Beach is a beach with a sand bottom, suited to intermediate surfers. Seabright is a long exposed beach break just east of the Santa Cruz Harbor jetty. The jetty influences sand movement and shapes shifting sandbar peaks, with the best conditions on a combo NW/S swell. It is the closest spot to town but sees a fraction of the Pleasure Point crowd, making it a solid everyday option for intermediates.
The prime season at Seabright Beach is fall, when swell direction, wind patterns, and water temps line up most consistently. Outside the peak season you can still score, but you'll need to watch the forecast closely for the right windows.
Common hazards at Seabright Beach include rip currents, cold water, jetty boat traffic, shifting sandbars. Always check conditions before paddling out, respect local etiquette, and never surf alone if you're unfamiliar with the break.
Our Seabright Beach forecast uses NOAA GFS and other weather models combined with spot-specific bathymetry to calculate breaking wave heights. Short-range (1-3 day) forecasts are most reliable; extended forecasts show general trends. We also verify our offshore swell predictions against NOAA buoy measurements daily — see our accuracy page for those swell-verification metrics (buoys measure open-water swell, not breaking surf size).
